Energy, Creativity And Circular Thinking: Why Engineering Needs Engineers Like Molly Akers

Molly's journey into engineering didn't begin with a plan. It began in her grandad's garden shed a workshop that quietly sparked her fascination with how things are created.

At school she followed her curiosity, leaning into both maths and art, and eventually typing a simple phrase into Google: "engineering and art combined." That search led her to Product Design Engineering at the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow School of Art, where hands-on making met technical engineering fundamentals and opened a pathway she never knew existed.

Graduating straight into Covid, Molly found herself navigating uncertainty, juggling part-time jobs at IKEA and a design manufacturer while trying to keep her creative and technical skills alive. That persistence led her to the Net Zero Technology Centre in Aberdeen, where she discovered the world of hydrogen, digital technologies and the energy transition.

Now a Project Engineer working on government-funded innovation programmes, Molly reflects on learning an entirely new industry from scratch, overcoming imposter syndrome and stepping onto her first major panel at Offshore Europe, something she once thought she'd never be ready for.

In this episode, Josh and Molly explore the power of transferable skills, why students shouldn't fear non-linear routes, and how creativity, engineering and net zero technologies intersect in a rapidly changing world.

This is a story of adaptability, self-belief and carving a place in the future of sustainable engineering.

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